Er kämpft in allen Himmeln und unzähligen Welten

Kapitel 55

I was hating my body for not cooperating, but after hearing this, I immediately struggled to nod, reached out and pushed against his chest, trying to get off the ground to prove that I still had the strength to walk out.

"Wait a minute." He took the helmet from the bedside and put it on me, then tucked my hair back in. His fingers brushed against my cheek, and I couldn't help but turn my face to touch his fingers, wanting to hold onto this feeling for just a moment longer, even a moment would be nice.

He looked at me, his eyes bloodshot, but his pupils were terrifyingly black. He put down the hand that was tidying my hair, then bent down and suddenly hugged me.

This wasn't the kind of embrace I was used to when I was carrying a burden on the road, nor was it the silent and gentle embrace in the underground valley. His hands wrapped around my body and closed behind my back, forcing my face to be buried in his chest, and his palm pressed down hard on the back of my head.

But he was trembling.

This man, who has always been strong and powerful in my eyes, was actually trembling.

His anger, frustration, panic, and even fear were clearly conveyed through that hug. Suddenly, my nose stung, and I almost cried. My hands, which had been hanging by my sides, involuntarily rose and gently pressed against his back. Even though I knew I didn't have the strength, I still wanted to comfort him as much as I could.

He hugged me for only a moment, then withdrew his hand and helped me up. I no longer had a chance to see his face, because he had also put on a helmet, and then led me outside.

There was no one outside the door. We walked forward along the secret passage, encountering a few maids and soldiers along the way. However, Mo Li was dressed in what appeared to be a high-ranking military uniform, indicating that he was of much higher status than them. No one came up to question us along the way; they simply bowed and let us pass.

My legs felt unsteady, but he held my hand the whole way, slowly channeling his inner energy into my pulse points. I wanted to break free and not let him waste his inner strength like that, but he closed his fingers and didn't even look at my face, so how could I break free?

We made our way out of the cave without any problems. The final exit cave was near the stable, and as soon as we came out, several people led horses to greet us.

I was startled.

Mo Li showed no surprise and stepped forward to take the reins handed to him by one of the men. However, the man suddenly froze when he saw me. Although he was wearing a helmet that was pulled down very low, his eyes were wide open in the shadows.

I recognized him amidst my dizziness and lightheadedness, and was immediately filled with both surprise and joy. It was Qingyi; Qingyi hadn't died after all.

It was obvious that my appearance was completely unexpected by Qingyi, but he was always quick to react. Although surprised, he calmly handed me the reins. Mo Li turned and helped me onto the horse, and the small group of people rode straight toward the gate in a very open manner.

In my shock, I looked at the others again. In a flash, one of the people riding behind us suddenly hummed softly. The voice was familiar; it was Cheng Ping.

I almost thought I was dreaming.

Mo Li has come, Qingyi has come, and now even Chengping has come! In this desolate wilderness, at the very edge of the world, they have all come!

The gate was still surrounded by layers of tightly packed wooden fences, with several soldiers standing guard there. On both sides were high towers used for lookout, with archers standing on them. Someone came up to talk to us, and the man in blue went up to greet them and spoke to them in Mexican language. He also took something out of his pocket, which should be some kind of seal.

As expected, those people let us through. The wooden fence was opened, the suspension bridge was lowered, and as dawn approached, the light became even darker. I could hear the turning of the iron cable that held the suspension bridge, a slow, creaking sound that made my heart ache.

A faint commotion suddenly arose from the bunker, growing louder and louder until even the guards at the entrance couldn't help but turn around to look. My heart pounded in my chest, as if it would leap out. Mo Li sat upright on his horse in front of me, his back as straight as a javelin, without turning his head. The others remained calm. However, the horses beneath us were startled by the noise and began to stir restlessly.

The suspension bridge was still slowly lowering. Suddenly, a roar rang out from behind, clear as thunder amidst the chaos—it was Abul's voice!

I realized what had happened; he had discovered that I had escaped! The thought of how terrifying that man was sent shivers down my spine. Suddenly, I heard a voice in my ear—it was Mo Li speaking to me, just three short words.

"hold me."

I instinctively pulled my hands back, but he didn't turn around. Instead, he raised his voice and shouted, "Go!"

The sound of a whip slicing through the air rang out, and the horse beneath me suddenly surged forward, leaping over the wooden fence and galloping toward the drawbridge that was not yet fully lowered. The others naturally followed closely behind. The guards, caught off guard, tumbled to the ground as the horses soared overhead, their hooves landing on the drawbridge. The sounds of hooves and bellows echoed behind them. Archers on the tower immediately drew their bows and nocked arrows, while others rushed to the rotating platform to lower the drawbridge. The horses galloped up the bridge against the current, stopping the slowly descending surface and then rising again. I held him tightly around the waist. The sharp blades beneath the drawbridge gleamed with a sinister, pale light in the first sliver of daylight, and the sound of arrows piercing the air filled the air. It must be the archers on the tower, launching an attack on us amidst the chaos.

But I wasn't afraid anymore. My body was pressed against his, and my heart was at peace.

Mo Li led me ahead, and the end of the suspension bridge appeared before us. I heard a long neigh from a horse, and its four hooves were already off the ground. I heard a low cry beside me, and when I turned around, I saw that the horse ridden by the man in green had been hit by an arrow in mid-air and was falling sharply. He couldn't jump up in time and was about to be dragged into the pit of knives along with it.

I opened my eyes wide in terror. Mo Li seemed to hear the cry in my heart. With a flick of his wrist, the black whip lashed out, instantly lifting the green-clad figure from above the blade and lashing it straight out of the valley.

With her excellent lightness skill and the help of her long whip, Qingyi flipped over and landed outside the valley in an instant. Mo Li, however, was slowed down by the force of throwing Qingyi and could only abandon his horse in mid-air, which also took me with him as we leaped into the air.

The horses behind them leaped at the end of the suspension bridge, while Chengping lagged behind. His horse was exhausted from the steepness of the bridge, so he, like us, immediately abandoned it and used his lightness skill to leap out of the valley.

Mo Li was carrying me with one hand, but he couldn't really move freely. I was afraid of slowing him down, so I called out in a hurry.

"Let me go, I can manage!"

Without a word, he raised his whip again, the tip flying out to lash a large tree at the valley entrance. However, our descent was incredibly fast, and the whip merely grazed the trunk, failing to properly lash it. Cheng Ping, who had been behind us, had now overtaken us, landing at the valley entrance. In a flash, he spun around, grabbed the whip tip with one hand, and with a burst of energy, tightened the whip. Mo Li immediately used the momentum to leap up again.

I breathed a slight sigh of relief, but then I heard a sharp sound behind my head. I turned my head and saw a black shadow of an arrow piercing the air. Mo Li had just exhausted his strength in his leap and was using the momentum to jump again. The tip of his whip was in Cheng Ping's hand, and his other hand was holding me. There was no way he could dodge or knock down the arrow in mid-air.

The arrow was close to us in the blink of an eye. I could almost smell the cold, metallic scent emanating from its iron tip. And through the chaos and the jumble of figures, I could actually see Abul's face.

He stood among the crowd like a black iron tower, with a strange expression on his face, holding a bow and arrow in his hand, his mouth open, and his eyes staring straight in my direction, as if he wanted to say something.

I raised my hand, as if to grab the arrow, but when I clasped my hands together, there was nothing there. Then, I felt a chill on my shoulder blade and chest at the same time. When I looked down, I saw that the arrow had entered my shoulder blade and, with its momentum still intact, had pierced through my chest. The bloody arrowhead was sticking out abruptly, gleaming eerily in the morning sunlight.

In that instant, my mind became unusually clear. Everything and everyone seemed to slow down. I saw Mo Li float down outside the valley, saw him staring at me with bloodshot eyes, and saw the bloodlust in his eyes.

I wanted to speak and tell him it was alright, that it didn't hurt at all, but all the sounds suddenly faded away, and the world became completely silent.

As quiet as death.

Chapter Three: Jinshui Town

1

I've always thought that when a person dies, it should be a process of unconsciousness and unawareness. But after a long period of silence and darkness comes pain, a burning pain that spreads from my limbs and bones. I feel like a fish forced out of the water, pinned down above a furnace, being roasted inch by inch by the flames.

So I didn't die after all.

Whenever I could no longer bear it, a warm and strong inner force would slowly flow in. Later, it changed, becoming as calm as water, flowing along my meridians, relieving my pain, allowing me to catch my breath, until I returned to the long silence and darkness.

This cycle repeated itself until I finally woke up from the darkness for the last time. Although the pain was still there, it was no longer unbearable. My senses returned one by one. I smelled the warmth of food, heard faint birdsong, the sound of people moving around, and finally, the sound of conversation.

"I'm here to see what's wrong with my junior sister. You guys are being too domineering."

"Ping An hasn't woken up yet. People from Qingcheng Mountain are the most troublesome, always coming and going."

It was actually the voices of my senior brother and the woman in red... I couldn't open my eyes, but I was already overjoyed, feeling a sense of peace and harmony that I had never experienced before.

"Your Holy Fire Sect has gone too far! You kept our junior sister locked in your Right Envoy's carriage the whole way, where men and women shouldn't be in close contact..."

I couldn't open my eyes, and I was already sighing in my heart.

Long time no see, senior brother. I didn't expect you to be even more long-winded than you were a few months ago.

"His Majesty is healing Ping An! What does it matter if men and women don't touch each other? Which eye of yours saw them not touching? Ping An is already touching our His Majesty's people." The woman in red spoke eloquently and quickly, and the eldest brother couldn't keep up and collapsed on the spot.

"Our Master Chengwei from the Three Villages and Nine Schools was also there to heal Ping An! And my master too! Who said Ping An is... is... a person? Did Qingcheng Mountain agree to that? Did my master agree to that?"

My eldest brother was still the same as always, constantly bringing up Master as his trump card. I was getting anxious, and the thought that Master was also here made me desperately want to open my eyes and ask them for clarification.

"What does it matter whether you agree or not? Ping An isn't your pet dog." The woman in red snorted.

"you……"

The woman in red spoke so fluently that I could almost hear the sound of my senior brother cracking.

Then, all the sounds stopped.

What happened? I listened blankly. The sound of the door being pushed open and footsteps followed. The air in the room seemed to be still, making the footsteps all the more clear as if they were right next to my ear.

My heart was pounding, it hurt, but I couldn't stop it.

There was another door opening and a noisy voice, "Why are you walking so fast? After all these days of riding, my whole body is aching from being jostled around by the horse. Wait for me."

I recognized the voice, but I had slept for too long and my brain wasn't working properly, so I couldn't quite remember who it was.

"Come and see her." Another voice followed, and a gentle touch came from the most painful spot above my heart. Even through the fabric, I could feel the hand tense.

Mo Li is here!

I struggled in the darkness, hating myself for not being able to control my body, for not being able to lift my eyelids, and for not being able to make a sound.

"Oh, let me see." Another person came up, and I felt a chill on my neck; he must have lifted my shirt.

Then I heard Mo Li's voice suddenly turn cold.

"He Nan!"

You're too kind; you've even omitted the word "sir."

He Nan's chattering voice immediately followed, "What? How am I supposed to treat her if you won't even let me see her? You don't really think I'm so powerful that I can diagnose from a distance, do you?"

...

"Don't stay here, get out, get out. Just remember not to let that nagging kid come in and bother me. Married kids are getting more and more outrageous, they're so friendly with everyone they meet, I don't have time to answer all their questions."

I guess He Nan was referring to Cheng Wei. Cheng Ping is the kind of man who won't utter a word even if you hit him three times. Although Cheng Wei is his brother, he does love to talk.

However, no matter how talkative one is, compared to Mr. Master's great chatterbox, it's nothing!

Mo Li remained silent. I was afraid he would really leave.

In her desperation, she struggled to open her eyes, but unexpectedly, there was another voice outside the door—it was Qingyi's.

"Your Excellency, there is an urgent message from the sect."

Mo Li hummed in response, then paused slightly. He Nan spoke again, seemingly still pushing him.

"Let's go, let's go. Leave me a quiet place to look at her. Don't worry, I won't eat her."

Mo Li finally left. The door opened softly, and the room fell silent. I was so anxious I wanted to bite someone. Suddenly, I felt a slight stinging sensation between my eyebrows, and my eyelids felt like they'd been tugged by a nerve. Then, I snapped my eyes open.

After a long period of darkness, any light that appeared before my eyes felt like a sting. All I could see was a blurry blur of light and shadow, and then I felt a few light stings on my body.

"Alright, you bunch of idiots, you couldn't even tell you were awake. Little Ping An, I'm here, aren't you touched?"

The sting in my eyes subsided slightly, and I was finally able to see the man standing in front of my bed clearly. He Nan was still the same as before, with gray hair hanging down on both sides, and a face that didn't reveal his age, but with a slightly weary look.

I blinked. Although my heart was still aching and I still had so many gold needles sticking out of my body, I actually felt happy for a moment.

Over the years, this isn't the first time I've escaped death, but never before have I felt like this, before I even opened my eyes, that all the people I wanted to see were beside me—or at least very close to me.

He Nan lowered his head to examine my wound, making clicking sounds as he spoke.

"It almost pierced his heart. Chengjia did a pretty good job, hmm..." He looked at it and started stroking his chin. "This kind of stitching will leave a scar. Will your Xiao Mo mind it later?" I had been listening quietly at first, but when I heard this, I couldn't help but blush. I wanted to tell him to shut up, but before I could say anything, I coughed. He laughed. "You've been asleep for a few days and can't speak anymore, have you?" After saying that, he picked up another gold needle between his fingers.

"Stop stabbing me..." I struggled to speak, but the voice I made sounded strange and hoarse, like it was coming from a crack in the sand.

He paid no attention to me, continuing to wield his fingers with lightning speed, inserting several more golden needles into my body, and even talking to me between the needle insertions.

"Now that I'm here, you don't have to be afraid anymore. I guarantee that after you recover, you'll still be that fair-skinned, tender, and lively little Ping An. By the way, how did that silly boy end up with the people from the righteous faction in the Central Plains? The people from Qingcheng Mountain are all here; it gave me quite a fright."

After being stabbed so fiercely, I was actually able to speak again. Although my breathing was still a little unsteady, I was able to utter a complete sentence.

Where is this?

"Jinshui Town. Mo Li brought you here. There are quite a few people from the Holy Fire Sect here as well. It seems that the sect leader has suddenly become sensible again, so your Mo Li has regained power. Are you happy?"

The evidence Mo Li brought back must have worked, right? I didn't expect things to go so smoothly, but knowing that He Nan couldn't explain what happened, I decided not to ask.

When Mo Li returns, he will naturally tell me what happened.

So I said, "Find my master, Wende, for me. I need to see him..."

Mo Li is here, and Wen De is here too. How did they get together? None of that matters. What matters is that I must tell my master that my identity has been exposed. I can no longer peacefully pretend that I am Qingcheng Ping'an. I cannot allow the safety of anyone on Qingcheng Mountain to be threatened because of me.